Doklam: China Says India Should ‘Draw Lessons’ From Standoff
The Ministry of External Affairs has signalled a possible end to the Doklam standoff.
Signalling an end to the three-month Doklam standoff between India and China, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday issued two statements, with the second one saying, "expeditious disengagement of border personnel of India and China at the face-off site at Doklam was ongoing" and "has been almost completed under verification".
Prior to the second statement, there was ambiguity over the issue, as China had initially said that Indian troops had withdrawn, and asserted that Chinese forces will continue to patrol the Doklam region.
The first statement by the MEA, issued earlier on Monday, was also unclear. But the doubts were cleared when the ministry came out with the second statement later in the day.
These actions come just days before the BRICS summit to be held in China, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend.
- Signalling an end to the Doklam standoff, the MEA on Monday said, “expeditious disengagement of border personnel of India and China at the site is almost complete under verification”
- There was ambiguity over the issue earlier in the day, as China had only said that Indian troops had withdrawn, and Chinese forces would continue to patrol Doklam region
- This comes just a week before PM Modi’s expected visit to China to attend the BRICS summit
- The standoff began in June, when India objected to China building a road in the disputed region
India should draw lessons from Dokalam standoff: China
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday said the 73-day stand-off between India and China in Dokalam ended after India withdrew its troops and asked New Delhi to "learn lessons" and prevent such incidents in future.
"The border face off caused by Indian trespassing has been settled," Wang told the media, while answering a question from the Chinese media reports that India withdrew troops to provide a face saver for China after reaching a settlement.
Media may have carried speculation and reports but as per the "authoritative information" with the Chinese government, Indian troops have withdrawn from the area on the afternoon of 28 August, which "brought the faceoff to an end", he said.
"That is a basic fact and of course, we hope that the Indian side will learn lessons from this incident and prevent similar things from happening again," he said.
In New Delhi, the External Affairs Ministry did not immediately comment on the Chinese foreign minister's remarks.
"Army Chief was Sure of Ensuring Maximum Damage": Government Sources
Speaking to NDTV, unnamed sources from the government accepted that India’s position in Dokalam was what pushed both sides to negotiate on an end to the three-month long standoff. The army had reportedly enveloped the entire area, and had “made provisions to neutralise the Chinese forces”, they said.
Also, the location was advantageous to India as they could mobilise forces to Sikkim faster than China could, and the Indian forces had ‘strategically surrounded’ the area.
They also disclosed that Army Chief General Bipin Rawat was extremely confident of “ensuring maximum damage”, forcing China to agree on negotiating through diplomatic talks.
'We've Resolved the Issue of Illegal Trespass by India'
China on Tuesday remained non-committal on the issue of stopping road construction in Dokalam.
When asked if China will continue with building the road in the area, Hua said, “we will take into consideration all relevant factors, including the weather, to make relevant construction plan in accordance with the situation on the ground.”
Hua reiterated that Chinese border troops “will continue to station and patrol the Doklam area. We will continue to exercise our sovereignty with historic conventions.”
She also parried a question whether China is in consultation with Bhutan, which has protested the Chinese troops' road building in Doklam.
China Hopeful of Getting Support for Successful BRICS Summit
China hoped that all BRICS nations will play a role for the success of the grouping's upcoming summit in Xiamen, a day after India and China agreed to disengage their soldiers to end the Doklam standoff.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Xiamen to attend the summit from 3 September to 5 September.
When asked whether China halted the work on a road in Doklam to end the standoff so that the BRICS summit could be held, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said:
Hua reiterated that "Chinese border troops will continue to station and patrol the Doklam area. We will continue to exercise our sovereignty with historic conventions."
Bhutan Welcomes Disengagement of Troops in Doklam
In an official statement, the Bhutanese Foreign Ministry welcomed the disengagement of Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam.
Govt Briefs Opposition Leaders on Easing of Doklam Standoff
The government briefed the opposition leaders on the easing of Doklam border standoff with China with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj speaking to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders.
The Congress, on its part, welcomed and supported the understanding between India and China to de-escalate the border tension at Doklam in the Sikkim sector.
Sources said Swaraj called up Singh and Gandhi, besides Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and deputy leader Anand Sharma.
Sources said Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar also called up Sharma separately and informed him about the current status and the easing of border tensions at Doklam.
Sharma confirmed that the government has briefed Congress leaders about the Doklam standoff ahead of the BRICS summit.
'Status Quo in Doklam Restored'
Official sources told ANI that China has withdrawn all road building equipment including bulldozers, tents and construction equipment and its troops.
The source added that the “status quo has been restored as it existed two months prior to the standoff.
It said that India stood firm on its ground which made clear to China there would be “no backing down and hence a settlement was reached”.
The diplomatic negotiations were carried out by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval as well as foreign secretary S Jaishankar on the Indian side.
'China Warns India to Draw Lesson From Standoff'
China Global Television Network in a tweet said that “China’s defense ministry has warned India to draw lesson from the Doklam standoff after India withdraws troops, equipment from the area. (sic)”
Withdrawal of Troops Almost Complete: MEA
Clearing the air on the ambiguities that persisted after the initial statements from India and China, the former’s Ministry of External Affairs issued another statement on Monday saying the process of “expeditious disengagement of border personnel” at Doklam has “almost completed under verification ”.
It added that India has stressed on addressing “such matters” only through “diplomatic channels”.
Here is the press statement:
CPI(M) Welcomes 'End of Tensions'
The CPI(M) on Monday welcomed India and China agreeing to “expeditious disengagement” of border personnel at Doklam and urged the Centre to concentrate on strengthening good neighbourly ties with Beijing.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said:
Ambiguities With Regard to The Statements From The Two Countries
While China has claimed in its statement that Indian troops have indeed pulled back, the MEA statement did not explicitly say if troops from both countries have withdrawn from the area.
Moreover, China remained ambiguous about the exact status of its own troops.
Chinese Media Says Two Countries 'Have Agreed to End Standoff'
The Beijing-based China Global Television Network has also said that the two countries "have agreed to end the standoff in the Donglang area", citing the Chinese foreign ministry.
According to its report, the foreign ministry has also reiterated that "China will continue to protect its territorial sovereignty".
'Will Continue to Patrol Doklam Region': Chinese Foreign Ministry
China's foreign ministry has said that Indian troops have withdrawn to the Indian side of the disputed border area after “the matter was discussed with India through diplomatic channels many times”.
“China will continue to exercise its sovereignty and uphold its territorial integrity in accordance with the historical conventions on the border, she said while adding that China attaches great importance to the “friendly neighbourhood relations with India”.
She added that China will make “necessary adjustments and deployments according to the changes on the site” without elaborating what the adjustments would be.
Earlier on Monday, India's foreign ministry said it had agreed with China to an "expeditious disengagement" of troops at the disputed border area.
MEA Signals Possible End to Doklam Standoff
Signalling a possible end to the three-month-long Doklam standoff between India and China, the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday issued a statement saying, "expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is ongoing.”
The following is the press statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry:
This comes just a week before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expected visit to China to attend the BRICS summit, to be held from 3 September to 5 September at the coastal city of Xiamen. BRICS is a grouping of five nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Watch: An Explainer on The Doklam Standoff
Since June this year, Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in an intense face-off at the border trijunction with Bhutan.
Trouble began when India objected to China building a road in the disputed Doklam trijunction. This concern was also echoed by the Royal Bhutanese Army. India backed Bhutan's stance and told China to discontinue its construction project. However, China claimed Doklam as its own territory, leading to the conflict.
India said it sent its troops because Chinese military activity there was a threat to the security of its own northeast region.
But China has said India had no role to play in the area and insisted it withdraw unilaterally or face the prospect of an escalation. Chinese state media had warned India of a fate worse than its crushing defeat in the war in 1962.
(With inputs from Reuters, PTI and ANI)
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